Improvement in drop-hammers



F. H. RICHARDS. DROP-HAMMER. .No.1-77,96 O Patented May 30,1876.

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UNITED STATES,

PA ENT CFFIGE.

FRANCIS RICHARDS, OF BRITAIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO HOBARTE. SMITH, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT m DROP-HAMMERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,960, dated May 30,1876; application filed November 15, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H.RIoHARDs, of New Britain, in the county ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Friction-Roll Drop-Ham mers, which improvements arefully set forth'in the following specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, showing my newly-invented drop-hammer inperspective.

In the construction ofmy improved drop-hammerI employ,in common withothers, two friction-rolls, RR, driven by pulleys P,one of which isremoved from the drawing the better to exhibit the parts supported inbearings b and Z1 upon a frame, F, resting upon the top of guides G G,secured to anvil A, and between which guides the hammer slides freely.These parts, with their arrangement and operation, being extensivelyused and well known, I omit further description of them.

The object of the present invention is to provide such means ofoperating the hammer H as shall piace it completely under control of theoperator, whereby it may be used with that variation of the weight andrapidity of the blows with which a blacksmith is accustomed to use hishammer upon the anvil-a result highly appreciated by all practicalforgers.

This object I accomplish by giving to the board T, heretofore madestraight throughout its length, the form of a wedge, widest at the upperend, as shown in the drawing. To render this tapered board efficient togive control of the hammer, as named, the frictionrull R is supportedupon acarriage, U, operated from the hand-lever L by means of a rod, r,terminating in a wedge, W, at its upper end.

-The construction and arrangement of the parts, as thus described, beingunderstood, it is obvious that if the rolls R R be made to revolveinvsuch manner as to easily lift the hammer, and that if by the meansdescribed, or the equivalent, the roll R is moved to press against theboard, the hammer will be lifted; but the said board being tapered,there is,

during its upward movement, continually a' such movement will be exactlyproportionate to .the motion of the lever L, which, beingin the hand ofthe operator, gives him complete control of the hammer H, whereby theobjectbefore named is accomplished.

I do not limit myself to the use of the wedge \V to communicate motionfrom the lever L to the carriage O, as it is obviously merely a matterof discretion whether one or another mechanical device shall be usedtherefor.

In the drawing I have shown no device for keeping the carriage'G againstthe wedge W when said wedge is raised, as, by belting the pulley P to ashaft at the left hand thereof, this is accomplished without any specialdevice therefor; and by this means, also, the

rolls are held so far apart when the hammer is not in use as to preventthem from wearing the board out of'shape.

To better adapt the drop-hammer to forge articles requiring for theirformation variousshaped dies or tools, D, the said die, may be arrangedabout and upon revolving die-beds B, which are shownretained in positionby pins I claim- 1. The combination, with the hammer H andfriction-rolls R R, of the tapered board T.

2. The combination, with the tapered board T and friction-roll R,supported in carriage O,

of the wedge W, or equivalent, and lever L.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses: v

HUBERT P; RICHARDS,

v HUBART E. SMITH.

